Karkala teacher Asma Banu recognised for conserving 1,540 traditional rice varieties
Mangalore Today News Network
Udupi, Nov 2, 2026: Asma Banu, an English teacher from Sanur village near Murathangady in Karkala, has been selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition for her efforts to conserve nearly 1,540 traditional rice varieties.
Along with her husband, Abubakkar, Asma has been nurturing a remarkable repository of traditional rice diversity. The couple cultivates paddy on around 1.5 acres of leased land and grows hundreds of varieties in separate containers around their house as part of their conservation and documentation efforts.
They meticulously document the growth duration, yield, characteristics and cultivation requirements of each variety, with the aim of developing a database that can benefit farmers and researchers.
"It is my dream to conserve and document as many paddy varieties as possible, not only from India but from across the world," Asma said.
She recalled that her husband began cultivating traditional rice varieties nearly a decade ago while working as a hotel manager. He initially maintained around 100 varieties, but found it difficult to continue the conservation work due to his professional commitments. Asma subsequently joined him, helping expand the collection significantly.
Their collection includes several traditional varieties such as Assam Black, Burma Black, Selam Sanna, Rajbhog, Navara, Raktashali, Gandhasale, Raja Kayame and the rare Nagasampige variety.
The couple harvests around 15 quintals of paddy annually, although commercial production is not their primary objective. Asma is also studying quick-maturing rice varieties from Tamil Nadu that can reportedly be harvested in around 45 days, compared to the longer growing period of conventional varieties.
Their children are also actively involved in the conservation initiative. Their daughter Mariam Afna is a Class 10 student, while their son Afran is pursuing undergraduate studies. Asma recalled that Afna, while studying in Class 9, delivered a talk at the ’Beeja Parampara: Conserving Our Past, Cultivating Our Future’ programme in Bengaluru, which was also attended by a team of German scientists.
Last year, scientists from the Mandya Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) collected seeds from their collection to verify their authenticity and have since been conducting experiments at the centre. Asma and Afna also participated in a workshop organised as part of the initiative.
Expressing happiness over the recognition, Asma said the award would encourage educated people to take up paddy cultivation and the conservation of traditional varieties.
She described the recognition as an honour for the collective efforts of her entire family.